Choosing The Right College and Course For You

Hello all,

It's that time of year again, that time where all the colleges hold their open days and you're expected to make what seems like the hardest decision of your life. I hoping that by writing this blog post I may make you feel a little more confident when choosing your college and courses. 

In no way am I an expert in this i'm purely speaking off my own experience seeing as I was in this position just a year ago. 

My first tip would be to keep open minded about all the colleges you are going to view.  Before even viewing the colleges I went to see i'd already made a judgement of how much I'd like each one and it's fair to say that what I thought was going to be my least favourite is now my college today. You can't make a decision when you don't really know anything about the college so try not to make a judgement before visiting. 

Secondly don't be afraid to ask questions. Many people give up their own time to help out at the open evenings and are purposely there to answer your questions so please use them. In each department there'll be both teachers and students of the subject able to give you first hand information on the course. This is particularly useful if you have a few colleges in mind as you'll be able to compare what each college will be able to offer you. This is also extremely helpful if you are unsure what courses to take as you can ask for information on the subject that you may previously never thought of taking! 

As well as this i'd visit subjects that I feel i'd be interested in however not definitely going to take. You may find that one of the courses you choose doesn't work out so it's always a good idea to have a backup or two. Don't feel pressured into taking a course you won't enjoy because of pressure from friends as this will dampen your whole college experience. In the first couple of weeks most colleges will allow you to move courses around to make sure you're completely happy so if you feel you've made the wrong choice you'll always have the chance of changing courses later down the line.

Furthermore if you have a set career goal or an aim of a specific university course now is the time to start looking at this also. Some universities/jobs require certain A levels so it'd be a good idea to find these out early so you can choose the right colleges courses that can lead onto further education. 

Finally look at as many colleges as possible. Make sure you look at every college in a commutable distance so you can compare and make sure it's a place you can see yourself. Don't worry about where your friends are going just make sure you choose the right college for you. 

I know this whole experience can be extremely daunting however once you've started I believe college is 100x better than high school as long as you keep on top of the work load and attend every lesson. I could go on for hours about this topic but I won't waste anymore of your time. If you'd like to ask any questions then feel free to leave them in the comments and i'll reply asap. 

With love

Jessica 

x

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My Autumn Essentials!

Hello all

Yesterday was officially the first day of autumn and as anyone that knows me would tell you autumn is my all time favourite time of the year! I absolutely love the crisp cool air in the morning upon your face and the excuse to just snuggle up on the sofa in front of your all time favourite movie. I thought now would be the perfect time to let you in on my autumn essentials. 

1) Grab a mug of hot chocolate. Everyone knows that when the weather outside is a bit nippy we all crave the warm loving feeling that a hot drink gives us. Hot chocolate just screams out autumn for me so this had to be included in my list of essentials! 

2) Invest in red. When I think of autumn I instantly think of the colour red. That beautiful red that the leaves change to fills me with absolute excitement. If I could my entire wardrobe would be filled with these gorgeous shades of red during this time of the year. My absolute go to would be a red flannel shirt accompanied with a pair of skinny jeans and black ankle boots. 

3) Stock up on candy. We all know autumn means halloween and lots and lots of movies; this all calls for one thing! CANDY! Don't have the embarrassment of having no candy on halloween night so why not stock up now? If it somehow manages to vanish before October 31st it gives you the perfect opportunity to go and buy some more!

4) Snuggle in a big warm coat. When the weathers a bit cooler than you're used to having that extra layer is much appreciated. A nice big coat is super comfy, practical and offers a big fashion statement. 

5) Lots and lots of candles. I have a slight obsession when it comes to candles and when the evenings start drawing in I can't help but light a few candles around the room and relax in that calming glow they give off. Scented candles are my guilty pleasure and I could spend a fortune on them. 

With love,

Jessica

xo

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♡ NCS - Week Two ♡

Hello all! 

I'm back again to tell you about my experience of week 2 on NCS. During week 2 you stay in university accommodation as well as studying 1/6 subject choices in the university. Of course I chose media so I was in my element video editing, filming and trying out a bunch of new equipment.  I can only tell you about the media side of the programme however there's also the choice of: Sport, Enterprise, Music, Drama & Photography.

During the first two days as a team we visited a local elderly home where we spoke & interviewed some of the residents as well as staff. It was great to hear all their positive stories about the home and how the home doesn't live up to the current awful stereotypes. We filmed the residents and some of the activities that they took part in to make a short promotional film for the home to use. On the second day we played carpet curling against the elderly residents which they won and seemed extremely proud of. 

On Tuesday evening (Day 2) we all took part in a talent show which our team were awful at! Our excuse was "we're the media, we're meant to be behind the camera not in front of it". After much debating we came up with the idea of 'aeronicks' where our team mate Nick lead an aerobics session. The talent show was a lot of fun even though we came last.

Wednesday (Day 3) was left for editing. We had a mad rush near the end to make sure everything would be ready for the showcase which was that evening. During the showcase family and friends came to see what each group had created. Each of our team members got up and said a few words before presenting our short films, this was more of a challenge for some than others. The showcase was a success and i'm so proud with how our short film turned out. 

On Thursday (Day 4) we left the media side of the programme behind us and it was time for us to come up with a campaign idea. We wanted to raise awareness of something and many ideas were thrown around before we came up with the idea of Depression and Anxiety. Many of our team members currently are or have suffered from these conditions so it was something we were all passionate about. The main aim of our campaign is to raise awareness and to make people suffering from these mental health issues not feel alone. As a team we decided to call our campaign 'Turn On The Light' and used the hashtag #comeoutthedarkness. We also created a Facebook page to raise awareness which you can check out here. We came up with the idea of having a tree, which we would make ourselves, and hanging lightbulbs onto it with the publics small fears/phobias that they're comfortable to share. 

On the Friday (Day 5) it was pitch day! This was the day that we'd pitch our idea to local MP's and they'd give us a budget to allow us to carry out our idea. We spent the morning writing out a script for our pitch, making sure we all had a part, and learning it off by heart. Pitching to the dragons was a very scary experience and so stressful! They asked us many questions that made us think and we were all so worried about saying the wrong thing. Once it was over we all came together as a wave and they told us how much they were willing to give each team. We were lucky enough to get the amount we asked for which was £80.

As we were staying in university halls it was left to us to cook for ourselves. This was interesting but luckily for us my group had a few that were experienced in the kitchen and they were able to help those that weren't so used to it. We all had our own room with an en suit which was like luxury compared to the previous week! During this week I feel like I learnt how to be more independent and learnt many life skills. 

Would you cope cooking for yourself for a whole week?

I hope you enjoyed this post. 

Jessica xo

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